Elevated trackway.



J. A. SHEPARD. ELEVATED TRACKWAY. APPLICATION FILED FEB. v, 1914.

Patented Oct. 27, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Witnesses J. A. SHEPARD.

ELEVATED TRAGKWAY.

APPLIUATION FILED 1mm, 1914.

1 1 1 5,029, Patented 0013.27, 1914.

2 SHEETS-33531 2.

( nupntoi JAMES A. SHEPARD, OF MONTOUR FALLS, NEV. YORK.

ELEVATED TRAGKWAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 27, 1914.

Application filed February 7, 1914. Serial No. 817,342.

lo (Ill whom. ft m (1 com-cm Be it. known that I. Janus A, Sunrano, a citizen of the United States. and resident of Montour Falls. county of Schuyler. State of New York, have inveuted-certain new and useful Improvements in lllevated Trackways. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that type of railway in which the trackage is suspended at intervals from the ceiling of a room or carried by a series of overhead supports and is adapted to span the space intervening between the points of support and to carry a car and load suspended underneath the trackage.

Ilereto't'ore it has been common practice to construct a track from steel channel or I-beams which beams are well adapted to bridge the space between the points of support. and the projecting lower flange of which also tllfOldS a suitable hearing or track for the ear wheels. The quality of the steel of the ordinary beam is such that the lower flange will not. for any great length of time withstand the ab 'asive action of the car wheels. The beam almost immediatelybegins to wear causing it to lose its strength and soon it has to be entirely replaced while all the parts except its lower flange are substantially as strong as when new. i

It is one of the objects of my invention to apply renewable wearing strips or members to the lower flange of the beam in such a manner that they can be removed and replaced when worn out at the least possible expense, the beam meanwhile having sustained no injury or wear.

Another object of my invention is to urrange these wearing strips so that they are completely supported by the beam upon which they are placed and may therefore be made of a hard quality of steel which will resist. for a long period the abrasion of the car wheels.

The foregoing and other objects and novel features of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description, taken in connection with the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 .is a sectional view of a track embodying my invention and showing in dotted lines the outline of apart of a car and car wheels supported on the track.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a trackwav "embodying my invention in which the track is arranged on 011$"S1d6'0f the bcarrronly.

Fig. 3 is'a sectional view of a track supported on a beam made by riveting structural shapes together. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a railway embodying my invention in which the spreader bar is omitted. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a modification in which the spreader members are supported on the flange of the.beam and support the traekway. Fig. 6 is a sectional view of still another modification in which the invention is applied to a channel beam which supports the trackway comprising one rail only.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a beam for supporting a trackway, which beam may-be supported from the ceiling by riveting the upper flange 11 thereto or it may be supported at its ends on the walls of the building, or on other suitable supports so that the beam will bridge the intervening space and form a support for the trackvay. As illustrated the beam may be either a solid rolled I-beam, a built-up I-beam as shown in Fig. 3, a channel as.

shown in Fig. (i, or other suitable section provided with one or more flanges 12 at its lower end to engage the rail 13 or rails 13 and 14 of the trackway.

Referring to Figs. 1. 3 and 4, the rails 13 and 14 extending longitmlinallv of the beam and applied to the projecting lower flanges 12, may be shaped like the ordinary T-rail as shown in Fig. 1 or some suitable modification may be employed such as the L-rails shown in Fig. ,3 and the channel rails shown in Fig. 4. The essential feature of the rail or rails employed to reinforce the edge of the flange 'of the harm is that it shall interloelr with the beam or flange in such a manner that the loaded wheels passing over the track will be supported directly by the inclined or upper surface 12 of the beam flange and only reduced -or secondary stresses shall occur in the rails or the members which cooperate with the beam and rails to support the latter in their proper relation to the beam.

In order to-support the rails on the flange or flanges of a beam, I provide a spreader member 15 at intervals along the track which in Figs. 1 and 3 is shown as of substantially the same length as-the width of the lower flange and tits in between the webs of the T-rails the heads of which fit against the inclined upper surfacesj12","12" of ti) flange. The spreader member 15 in" lgsid and 8 has a longitudinalopening therein to receive the shunhof eboitlti the heedof which eilga es anti hoot-3.: m er ti .e' izwe at the end egemst the outside of the Web or oppm e the end of the ege e; gaging the vertical part 30 of a red white the shank rant. the spreader members in both 11' extends through the web or vertical part of the rail or other coiiperating member and the threaded end receives nut to secure the spreader member in piece and to drew the pttltS tightly together so that the bottom of the head of the rail will rest flush on the inclined surface or transmit its rmight (ii-- rectly to the beam Without undergoing any strains The ceiipereting s )reeder memhers 15 and. bolts 1.6 are distributed, at suitable intermis along the length of the track and hold the rails firmly in position Without being subjected to more then s freetiee of the 1021-}15 carried by the rails, 'saiti batis being almost entirely chi'ectiy by the supporting; beam. I

In. the construction shown in. at the spreader is dispensed with, the channel 1 s 13 and it beingse constructed the,

i; then tower flanges 18 and i i. are spaced from the tower flange of the beam :1 distance slightly in excess the diameter of the bolt so that the hefty of the letter will. as it and resist the reaction caused by tightening the bolt.

In F 5 I here shown it modification in which the relation of the mils LO the flange of the supperting beam and the sprescier members is reversed Wh the flange of the supporting bezuu acts as a spreader anal also as suppert and the Spreaders l7 and 18 fit in between the surface 19 of the flange of the beam and the uncler surtztce 20 of the head of the mit '13. The member 18 thereti parts into (:1 ceiitect whereby the mite transmit thei the bee i Figs. 52 and *6 theinventivtiu has been eppiieti. it track consistin rail and the sprees to support the e- \1 mi in pi-eper reie tion t0 the Henge run. The spresd er 31161111301 226501 this purpese is fermeci with an offset hook at its end oppesitethe end eiigegingtiie web e the ra l. 2 the cut end of i 3. its Henge of ga-gec hy the 1'. shown in ti its bent enci, W'ii e hole :24 puiiehet inte he Web ct the bee m. T" both in .ene e eiiset emi "3 of the spreader member L teed (titect'iy te the flange of fr t in. Figs. l 2

I r holes 111 the beam or the care curntely SQtifi e11 holes s0 as te secure we ""egister between holes in the i 1: ginei [.3

and he vcrrespen ft In at fer tieli 1s is, the on catty reduce-:1 cert a or "(i .9 net nearly reneivni. o' the n facilitated. me is c nepzirt toad between th and consequent loss of in 'ps 0r mile 1e beam with oni upon the ret iiiw' o will be evppereut es ions in the eei'lstructw i made wi out ticpzu'tii the inv on, I th to be in, .t-cci to the exact and ti i I' described aims. met ent it. In an elevated track Lion of a beam having e L it new; the milder side ed by szrici.

the mil to elevated t heeciedf comprisin the under c mi} in epemti've In eie'veteci tirzicitwziyx,

for chum;

In an eieveteci trsehweyg ii beer-.1 having a, on the $531558, means er; and the wit to the h on, use

nnraoae 6.. In an elevated traokway, the combination of a beam having opposite lateral flanges, rails having heads resting on the flanges and having parts extending beneath the flanges, and common means for clamping the rails to the beam, said means engaging both rails.

7 In an elevated trackway, the eombination of, a beam having a lateral flange, a headed rail supported by the beam, the under side of the head resting on said flange, said rail having a part extending beneath the flange, and means for clamping the rail to the beam comprising a device which on tends beneath the beam.

8. In an elevated trackway, the combination' of a beam having a lateral flange, a rail supported by the earn, a spreader engaging the rail to hold the same in'proper relation to the beam, and means for clamping the rail to the beam.

9. In an elevated trackway, the combination of a beam having a lateral flange, a headed rail arranged with its head partly above and supported by said flange, a

spreader beneath the flange and engaging the rail, and means for clamping the said parts together.

10. In an elevated trackway, the combination with a beam having a lateral flange, of a rail having a web and a laterally extencling head, the head resting on said flange and the web extendin below the same, a spreader beneath the beam and in contact with the Web of the rail, and a bolt for clamping said parts together.

11. In, an elevated trackway, the combination with a beam having upper and lower oppositely extending flanges, rails having heads resting on the lower flanges and Webs extending below said flanges, a siireader between said Webs, and means for c amping the said parts together.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES A. SHEPARD.

Witnesses:

A. G. (3mm, B. D. EnWAnne. 

